Database Engineer

Senior Consultant Database Engineer responsible for managing enterprise databases, IBM MQ, and LDAP services, ensuring high availability, security, performance optimization, disaster recovery readiness, and operational support across production environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Directory Infrastructure Management:
  Install, configure, and maintain LDAP directory servers across development, UAT, and production environments.
• Schema & Architecture Design:
  Design and manage the Directory Information Tree (DIT), defining Organizational Units (OUs), custom object classes, and attributes to reflect organizational needs.
• Replication & High Availability:
  Set up and monitor Multi-Master or Master-Slave replication to ensure data consistency and high availability across multiple data centers.
• Access Control Implementation:
  Develop and enforce strict Access Control Instructions (ACIs) or Access Control Lists (ACLs) to manage user permissions and maintain data security.
• Performance Monitoring:
  Conduct regular health checks, load testing, and performance tuning of JVM settings and database caches to maintain optimal response times.
• Install, upgrade, and configure IBM MQ components on distributed platforms.
• Set up MQ queue managers, local/remote queues, channels, listeners, and transmission queues.
• Configure MQ clusters for load balancing and high availability.
• Apply fix packs, patches, and manage MQ version upgrades.
• Manage MQ objects including queues, topics, channels, subscriptions, and security settings.
• Monitor and maintain MQ queue depth, channel health, and message flow performance.
• Set up and manage MQ client connections, bindings, and SSL/TLS certificates for secure communication.
• Work with application teams to provision messaging resources and troubleshoot integration issues.
• Implement and maintain security controls using CHLAUTH, blockIP2, and MQ authorization settings.
• Use native tools (e.g., runmqsc, dspmq, mqmon) and 3rd-party monitoring tools (e.g., MQ Explorer, App Dynamics, Dynatrace, Splunk) to analyze performance.
• Tune channel parameters, buffer sizes, and log files for optimal throughput.
• Configure alerts for queue depth thresholds, unresponsive channels, and message backlogs.
• Write administrative and automation scripts using Shell, Perl, Python, or Power Shell.
• Automate health checks, routine maintenance tasks, and failover procedures.
• Participate in designing and implementing DR strategies.
• Configure and maintain HA environments.
• Perform MQ data backup and restore procedures.
• Maintain detailed documentation for installations, configurations, and change procedures.
• Comply with enterprise change control and incident management policies (ITIL framework).
• Participate in audits and support compliance activities (SOX, PCI, GDPR, etc.).
• Install, configure, manage, and maintain database platforms including IBM DB2, Couchbase, Microsoft SQL Server, and exposure to PostgreSQL and MongoDB.
• Administer databases in production, staging, and disaster recovery (DR) environments.
• Perform database provisioning, patching, upgrades, and version lifecycle management.
• Manage database storage, capacity planning, and space utilization.
• Monitor database performance, availability, latency, and resource usage.
• Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks using query analysis, indexing strategies, and configuration tuning.
• Implement and manage High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) solutions (e.g., replication, clustering, backup/restore strategies).
• Implement database security controls including access management, encryption, auditing, and compliance with organizational security policies.
• Apply secure configuration baselines and support vulnerability remediation and security audits.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams during security incidents, investigations, and patching activities.
• Design, implement, and test backup and recovery strategies for all supported databases.
• Perform regular restore tests to ensure data recoverability and business continuity.
• Support DR drills and failover exercises.
• Automate routine DBA tasks using scripts and automation tools where applicable.
• Define and maintain monitoring metrics, alerts, and dashboards for database health and KPIs.
• Integrate database monitoring with enterprise monitoring platforms.
• Work closely with application teams, infrastructure, middleware, and operations teams to support application requirements.
• Provide database design reviews and best-practice guidance for new applications.
• Support database-related change requests, releases, and maintenance windows.
• Document database standards, procedures, and operational runbooks.

Technical Skills

• Directory Services Protocols:
  Expert understanding of LDAP/LDAPS, X.500 data models, and authentication protocols like SAML, OAuth, and Kerberos.
• Operating Systems:
  Advanced administration skills in Linux.
• Scripting & Automation:
  Proficiency in Python or Bash for automating bulk data changes and routine maintenance.
• Security Standards:
  Knowledge of encryption standards…